SPURGEON ON THE DEFINITE CHALLENGE FOR DEFINITE PRAYER

This is extracted from The Definite Challenge of Definite Prayer by Charles Spurgeon

Mark 10:51 (ESV) And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight."

No doubt our Lord’s disciples imagined that he was going up to Jerusalem to establish the Kingdom. They hoped that they would be partakers of that earthly grandeur which they had fondly pictured would glitter around the person of the Son of David. Therefore, when the blind man ventured to vehemently cry out to him, whom they esteemed to be a great King, they thought it was daring intrusion. Who was the son of Timaeus that he should say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”? They were all anxious to quiet the voice of misery in the presence of so much majesty.

But our Lord Jesus Christ did not spurn the blind man’s prayer as intrusive or impertinent. He was not angry with him. He did not even pass by without taking any notice. What he did was to stand still, and command the man to be brought to him.

This poor man was not allowed to pray in general. “Son of David, have mercy on me”; a very proper prayer, and a very blessed prayer, but certainly it was a very broad prayer. So he was encouraged to be more specific in his request. “What do you want me to do for you? You ask for mercy; what form of mercy do you need? In what particular shape will the bountiful hand dispense the mercy to you?” The blind man immediately replies, “Rabbi, I want to see.” He hits the mark with precision. It is sight he wants, and so for sight he asks. This is the right way for believers to pray. I wish we had more of it in our prayer meetings;

A man, who was noted for his great earnestness in prayer, was once asked how it was that, whenever he prayed, he seemed to be so earnest, and he said, “Because I always have a specific purpose when I go to the King; I always have a specific purpose; I go to him knowing that I want something, and I ask him for it, and I don’t stop until he gives it to me; and if he does not give it to me, I ask him again and again, for I know what I need.”

In offering our petitions to God, a helter-skelter approach does not become us. We must never rush into His presence without thinking about what we are going to say to Him. The decorum which is due to a king’s court should cautiously remind us of the reverence due to the King of kings. Although we enjoy the privileged familiarity which permits us to say “Our Father,” as dear children of the Lord of heaven and earth, let us never forget to be humble and in honor to bow as subjects of the great King. Tenderly he asks; devoutly may we answer, “What do you want me to do for you??”

What promise is there that you would wish to have fulfilled to you today? It is a good exercise to sit down before your time of private prayer, and look up the promise that seems most suitable, or to ask the Lord to look it up for you, and apply it to your soul. So, dear friends, when praying for others, I think it is very necessary, in order to keep up our own interest in it, that we should have distinct things to pray about.

When pleading with God, do let us come straight to the point, stating our case clearly in answer to the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” May the Lord teach us to pray in this distinct manner! There is no limit to the Savior’s ability. Nor does he put a limit on the petitioner’s freedom to command the favor he desires.

Oh! believer, do you have a desire in your soul, do you have a longing in your heart, then Christ does not say that he will give you this mercy, if it is possible, but that he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. I hear that text still quoted by some of my brethren, “More than all that we can ask or imagine.” I beg their pardon; that is not a faithful quotation of Scripture. It says, “More than all we ask or imagine” - more than all we ask. God can open a person’s mouth as wide as his mercies, and he can make us ask for anything, but he generally does for us more than all we ask or imagine. Never keep your mouth closed because you think the mercy you want would be too great. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Do not restrict yourself. Enlarge your desire. Open your mouth wide, and he will fill it. He gives you carte blanche; ask for what you want. He puts it before you, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” So may it be to us, according to our faith, and his will be the glory. Amen.

Taken from Bible Bulletin Board© 2000 by Tony Capoccia.
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